What it takes to be Free
by Donatarion De Loriat
Summary: Agent Syrian's mind has been in turmoil since the NeoSmith confrontation. After everything has returned to normal, she asks herself if she really wants to be an agent... COMPLETED with 813 words! My first fanfic.


Syrian closed her eyes and felt the cool wind against her face.

_No... it wasn't wind... it was... something... a program..._

Like her.

Opening her piercingly, shocking electric blue eyes, she turned her head, hand coming up to press the white ear bud deeper into her ear.

**H**e'**S** **ON** 54t**H** **A**venu**E**. ... 

She didn't have to ask the locator program who "he" was. He was the one who had been ruining their plans, defeating any agents who came close.

Neo Anderson.

Shoes clicking against the tile of the hallway, she turned to the main hall, where people milled in unison, creating a sort of organized chaos.

She smiled at them. Unlike other agents, she kind of admired the humans. Their determination, the adrenaline rush that sometimes turned the worst cowards to the best heroes, the feelings that she was said to not have...

She took a deep breath and picked her way through the people, their smell diving deep into her nose, the warm, musky scent of sweat, of hurries, worries, and everything else.

Reaching the main doors, she pushed through the revolving chambers that seemed to always have way too many people stuffed into them.

Stepping off into an equally chaotic street full of taxis, Chevrolets, and motorcycles, she glanced up at the nearby street sign.

_54th Street._

What... coincidence.

**H**e'**S** **C**omin**G** **T**oward**S** **Y**o**U**!

Syrian's mind pieced together the program was sending her. Neo was coming down the street. Neo was turning into a doorway. Neo was opening the door.

Neo was inside.

She pulled the ear bud out of her ear, knowing that she wouldn't need it.

A dark shadow pulled up next to her, and she glanced over to see another agent.

"Agent Syrian, shall we?"

Syrian nodded and replied in a monotone voice, "Yes, Agent Rey."

Rey and Syrian began walking up the street, each taking to his or her own pace, depending on their urgence and their want.

Syrian's mind mulled on several objects. Ever since Neo had defeated the exile and been reanimated out of thanks, he had returned to his old life of freeing those poor souls from the Matrix.

The Head Machine had been fine with that, on one condition. Everything would return to normal as before.

The rebels jack in.

The agents go after them.

Whoever wins, it's fair.

And, of course, Neo had readily agreed.

It was fair and simple, giving opportunity to those who wanted out and to those who wanted to still live in their paradise or nightmare dream world.

But, with that last battle, options and questions had been popping up in her mind, and she wondered if the other agents had been affected to.

If one rogue agent could do what Smith had done, then why was the Head Machine still using them?

Was it sure their would never be another?

Another question cropped up: Why?

Why were they fighting for the Matrix?

Why were they dying for it?

Just for some energy source?

Just for some humans who had lost their real lives to replace it with some fake one, just to keep the machines running?

Either way, the humans still "controlled" the machines.

Syrian saw no reason why programs kept keeping up their charade, why they kept leaping into radical and deadly things.

They sure would have expected it.

If one human could escape from the Matrix and stir so much up...

Why couldn't she?

Couldn't she become an exile and be free?

"Agent Syrian? We are here."

Agent Rey's announcement jolted Syrian out of her thoughts and she nodded. Drawing a revolver, she slowly opened the door.

Sunlight from the busy street slit across the room, rending to darkness into strips of shadow. A slash of light fell upon the dark figure at the other end of the room. The shadow turned around.

Neo stood there, trenchcoat whispering around his feet and circular sunglasses covering the eyes that had seen what was real...

And what was not.

"Have you come for me?"

Agent Rey responded with multiple gunshots, his Magnum belching it's six bullets out.

And, some how, none of them hit.

Rey sprinted in, oblivious to Syrian's lack of action.

Her mind was racing.

What should she do? What should she do?

Snapping on a option, Syrian raised her Glock and fired, the bullet buzzing through the air and into the unexpecting skull of Rey.

The agent slumped to the floor. After a few seconds, the corpse twitched and became the original human's appearance once again.

Neo slowly looked up, shocked. His lips twisted to form one word,

"Why?"

Syrian smiled sadly.

Why all this trouble?

What was worth fighting these humans for?

Why not just... cooperate and end the bonds of slavery?

She dropped her revolver, the cold metal leaving her hand as the equivalent left her heart.

_"I want... to be free..."_


End file.
